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CLEARWATER, Fla.--In a win for the environment and public health, Pinellas County became the 11th county in Florida to ban fracking. Pinellas Commissioners voted unanimously to pass an countywide ordinance banning the controversial drilling technique that has contaminated drinking water sources from New Mexico to Pennsylvania and damaged over 675,000 acres of land, an area nearly the size of Big Cypress National Preserve.

Dozens of community members and groups turned out to speak and support the fracking ban, with no one speaking in opposition.

Jennifer Rubiello, state director with Environment Florida issued the following statement:

“Across the country, fracking has been a rolling environmental disaster – contaminating drinking water, making residents sick, and transforming open lands into industrial zones. After listening carefully to the latest science and the voices of local residents, Pinellas County Commissioners decided to permanently protect the water, health, and environment of our county from the documented damage of fracking and fracking wastewater. This is what true leadership looks like."